A Lily in the Wind
by tea.caffeine.and.books
Summary: Lily Potter was a strange girl, so it didn't come as a shock when she learned that she was a witch. Something that wasn't expected- Lily learned along the way that she was famous, and everyone knew her story. Everyone, that is, except her. Join Lily as she navigates her way through Wizard Politics, Hogwarts secrets, and new friendships. Cover art creds to artist. Rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So I've been on and off with the idea of publishing a fic for a while, and I finally did on a different account. Unfortunately, that account got deleted some how, so I decided to start fresh with two new stories. This is the first, a story of a gender bent Harry, something that has always interested me. Lily Mary Potter, the girl who lived and resident witch of number 4 Privet Drive.**

 **A bit about me, I'm a high school student who plays 5 instruments, takes all honors and APs, and fences, so as such I don't have a whole load of free time. So instead of posting multiple times a week, I will mostly be posting on Sundays, but please please please don't get mad if I miss a few. I bet all of you know how hectic life can be so don't blame me.**

 **Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the story or want to talk, and please follow favorite and review**

 **Chapter 1-**

Lily Potter woke up, not for the first time, to a flash of green light slashing its way across her dreams.

And then she proceeded to smack her head against a low lying bar in her cupboard under the stairs.

Groaning, she groped around for her glasses while rubbing the now bruising spot on her head. Finding her circular frames, she shoved them onto her face and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes.

A large 6 shone on the clock in red block letters causing Lily to sigh. Ever since summer break had started, she couldn't shake her internal alarm. She had never been a girl to get a solid amount of sleeping, sometimes sleeping for 2 hours and sometimes for 12. Today, it had been more like 3.

Lily grabbed a pair of her old, too big jeans and a ratty shirt that had once belonged to petunia and got up, making her way through the silent house up into the bathroom.

Lily hated her appearance, she realized as she looked in the mirror. She was tall for ten years, and all limbs that poked out in weird angles. Her midnight black hair was long and plaited with wisps falling out into her hazel eyes. But the thing that Lily hated most about her appearance was a thin scar, the shape of a lightning bolt, cut it's way down the right side of her forehead.

Along with being the thing that Lily hated the most, it was also the thing that caused the most controversy in the Dursleys house. Vernon and Petunia seemed to despise the sight of it, Petunia even going so far as to cut bangs into Lily's hair to hide them (miraculously they were gone the next day, much to her aunts annoyance). It made sense as to why they hated it, though. Lily had gotten the scar in the car crash that had killed both her parents and left the young girl with her relatives. Her mother was Petunia's sister, and one that she seemed to despise about as much as Lily despised her.

"Get out of the bathroom!" came the voice of Lily's cousin, something that shocked her right out of her thoughts. What in the world was Dudley doing up so early? Checking the clock on the bathroom wall, Lily realized with a start that she had been sitting here for 2 hours, trapped in thought.

Heaving herself up, she quickly tidied her stuff and opened the door to a glaring Dudley.

"Mum and dad want you in the kitchen," Dudley sneered, pushing her aside. Lily stumbled and caught herself on the stair railing, glaring daggers at her cousin's back. "Better hurry," Dudley continued shutting the door, "they seemed mad."

The door shut with a snap and Lily turned, a sour look on her face as she made her way down to the kitchen, kicking the door to her cupboard shut while she went.

"Get in here," Petunia said when Lily pushed the door open. "It's about time. What were you even doing up there? Never mind. I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn. I want everything perfect for Duddy's birthday."

Lily groaned, finally noticing the stack of presents so large that the kitchen table seemed to be groaning under their weight. It seemed that Dudley had gotten everything he had wanted again this year. A new computer, that television, and for some odd reason, a racing bike. The last present made no sense to Lily, because Dudley was very, _very_ fat and hated all forms of exercise- well, unless you counted beating up Lily as exercise.

That seemed to be Dudley's sole form of enjoyment. Him and his gang would frequently taunt Lily and attempt to beat on her. However, Lily happened to be very fast and could normally get away from their attempts. She had taken up running at a young age for this very reason, something that Petunia also seemed to despise, much to Lily's joy. She frequently would come home covered in sweat to Petunia shrieking about how she was going to get the foyer dirty.

Lily flipped the bacon, sulking slightly. It wasn't as if they had ever gotten her anything for her birthday. They seemed to conveniently forget every time it came around, usually planning some obscene family outing that included leaving Lily at Mrs. Figgs, their old cat loving neighbor's, house.

"Cover up that scar," Vernon barked as a way of greeting to Lily when he stalked into the kitchen. Lily ignored him, instead moving onto frying the eggs.

By the time Dudley entered with Petunia, Lily was attempting to find places to put the food which was incredibly difficult since the entire table was covered in presents.

"Why are there only thirty six?" Dudley seemed to be asking, his face turning pink.

"Sweetums, you forgot Auntie Marges, look- it's under the big one from mummy and daddy," Petunia said, shifting some presents around.

"But that's still only thirty seven!" Dudley whined. "And last year, I got thirty eight!"

Sensing a Dudley tantrum coming on, Lily hastily put the plates down and went back to the oven, pouring cups of tea.

"Now popkins," Petunia said hastily, "when we go out, daddy and I will buy you two more presents! How does that sound- two more presents?"

"Then that will make… um…"

"Thirty nine, love bug," Petunia offered, patting down Dudley's blonde hair.

Lily snorted, earning a look of loathing from Petunia as Dudley sat down and pulled the nearest parcel towards him.

"I guess that's alright," Dudley replied, ripping off the paper from the present.

Lily delivered the tea to the table before taking one for herself and leaning on one of the kitchen counters, pushing her glasses farther up her nose. Dudley seemed engrossed in his presents, ignoring his parent's idle conversation.

The ringing of the phone broke through the sounds of Dudley ripping paper.

"Go get that, girl," Vernon barked at Lily, taking a sip of coffee.

"Hullo," Lily said, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Who is this?" came the voice from the other end.

"Lily. Who's this?"

"Oh hello Lily dear. This is Mrs. Figg. Could you let your aunt and uncle know that there's been an accident? I can't take you today, I'm afraid."

Lily's stomach bloomed with excitement. Mrs. Figg couldn't take her! That meant that maybe they would leave her home alone. She could use the t.v or reread one of her books, or even-

"Lily dear, are you there?"

"Yes," Lily said quickly. "I am. I'll let them know. Thank you." Quickly, she hung up and turned towards Petunia.

"Mrs. Figg can't take me," she blurted out.

"What did you say?" Petunia asked, turning towards her niece.

"Mrs. Figg was in an accident. She can't take me today."

The reaction was immediate. Petunia and Vernon shared a scandalized look while Dudley started to whimper.

"What are we going to do, Vernon?" Petunia was acting like this was the worst news she had ever gotten.

"What about that friend of yours?" Vernon grunted.

"She's away in Madrid," Petunia sighed. "Well, can we get Marge to look after her?"

"Don't be silly, Petunia. Marge hates the girl."

"You could just leave me here," Lily said, trying to keep out all hints of hope from her voice.

Petunia looked aghast at the very thought. "And come back to the house in flames?"  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Like I would burn the house down." But both seemed to be ignoring her again.

"We could take her with us and leave her in the car," Petunia offered.

"That's a new car. There is no way I'm leaving her in it."

At this point, Dudley's whimpering turned into full fledged tears and he started to ball very loudly. Of course, he wasn't really crying. It was a trick he did, to get his parents to do what he wanted.

And of course, like every time in the past, it worked.

"Oh Dinky Duddydums, don't cry! Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" Petunia cried, flinging her arms around her son.

"I… don't… want… her… to… c-c-come!" Dudley wailed between fake sobs. "She always sp-sp-sp-spoils everything!" He shot Lily a nasty grin between his mother's arms. Lily shot one right back at him.

Just then, the doorbell rang, causing Dudley to immediately stop his crying while both his parents jumped to their feet.

"They're here," Petunia whispered. "Vernon what are we going to do?"

"We're just going to have to take her with us," Vernon replied gruffly, turning away to go open the door.

Petunia hurried around the entry, trying to clean up the already clean house, leaving Dudley and Lily alone in the kitchen.

"What do you think your friends would say if they saw big bad Duddy diny dums crying?" Lily taunted.

Before Dudley could respond, Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend, sauntered into the kitchen, Petunia and Vernon on his heels.

"Alright!" Petunia said, her voice way to cheerful. "Who's ready to go to the zoo?"

Two hours later, Lily found herself sitting outside of an exhibit in the Reptile House, Piers and Dudley off looking at the biggest animal they could find.

She still wasn't quite sure how she had managed to be allowed to come. This was the first time she had been out of the house for a reason that wasn't school, and she was at the _zoo_ of all places! Even if she was exiled to sit on a bench all day, thanks to how she baited Vernon in the car. But in her defense, she couldn't help but be curious. The Dursleys just had a strict, "Don't ask questions" rule in their house, something that got Lily into the most trouble.

"Look at this one, Big D!" Piers said, coming over to where Lily was seated. "It's huge!"

Dudley came bounding over, gazing into the glass. Within two seconds, however, all interest seemed to fade. "It's so boring," Dudley said, pushing off the glass and stalking away, Piers hurrying after him.

Lily sighed and turned towards the glass, gazing in on the snake. _Boa Constrictor, Bred in Captivity_.

"Hullo," she mumbled to the snake. She paused before sighing and turning away. "What am I doing. Talking to a snake? I really am going crazy."

:We're all crazy here, mi amigo: came a new voice, causing Hope to jump at least a foot in the air.

"Did you just- did you just speak?" Lily whispered, turning back towards the serpent.

:Si, mi amigo.: Lily could have sworn that there was a glint in it's eyes.

"Stupid question," Lilly continued, "but do you normally talk to people?"

:I'm a snake: the serpent said. :What do you think?:

"No need to be a twat about it," Lily said. "I was just wondering."

The snake huffed, or at least Lily thought it did.

"What are you talking to _me_ for anyway?"

:You started talking to me first, amigo:

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but it closed rather quickly as Piers and Dudley shoved her to the ground, pushing their own noses up against the glass.

"MR. DURSLEY! MRS. DURSLEY! COME SEE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!" Piers shouted as Dudley pushed harder on the glass.

If glares could kill, the one Lily sent the way of the boys would have caused two funerals.

Lily jolted with surprise as the two boys leapt back with howls of horor, gaping at the tank.

What was once solid glass was now gone. The boa constrictor uncoiled itself rapidly before slithering onto the floor. People everywhere began to scream and run for exits, adamant on leaving the zoo.

As the snake passed by Lily, she could have sworn a small voice hissed :Brazil, here I come! Thanksss, amigo:

"Good luck," Lily whispered back, moving out of the way.

"But the glass? Where did the glass go?" was all Dudley could seem to say as Piers shook, racked with fear. The zoo director himself came over to assure a hysterical Vernon that the family would be reimbursed in full for anything purchased that day, before making Petunia a strong cup of tea and apologizing over and over again.

On the car ride home, Piers Finally found his voice and said, "Lily was talking to it, weren't you, Lily?"

"That's absurd," Vernon said. "Snakes don't talk." But the look he gave Lily in the mirror screamed that she could be punished. So it didn't come as a big surprise when she was thrown into the cupboard under the stairs as soon as Piers left with his mother.

The sun was shining brightly down on Lily who was perched on the roof of number twelve privet drive, currently hiding from Dudley and his gang.

They had been around pretty much non stop lately, causing Lily more often than not to hide away on the roof, or better yet get out of the house as a whole.

As much as she was enjoying summer, she couldn't wait for school to start back up again. Lily had always excelled when it came to academics, managing to beat Dudley with her 'A's in every subject. Of course, Vernon and Petunia never cared about how well she did, instead praising Dudley anytime he managed constant 'C's.

But the main reason Lily was excited to go back was, for the first time ever, she wouldn't be in the same school as Dudley.

Dudley and most of his gang were going to Smeltings, a private school that Vernon also had attended (with a uniform so ridiculous that Lily didn't trust herself not to laugh the first time Dudley had downed it). The prospect of finally getting away from Dudley shone bright. Maybe she would have friends, something that had rarely happened thanks to Dudley's constant threats.

An owl soared overhead, shaking Lily from her thoughts. What were owls doing out in broad daylight? Seemed rather strange. From what Lily had read, owls were nocturnal, only coming out at night.

Looking down at her watch, Lily saw that at any moment, Petunia would come looking for her for lunch, and if she was found on the roof she was bounded to get locked in the cupboard. Sighing, she maneuvered her way down and through the bathroom window, walking out and down into the kitchen.

A horrible smell greeted her. Lily couldn't help but crinkle her nose as she gazed at Petunia who looked to be hovering over a pan of gray liquid.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"What have we told you about asking questions?" Petunia scowled. Of course, the number one rule at the Dursleys was "don't ask questions", something that had always troubled the rather curious Lily. "If you must know," Petunia continued, turning up her nose, "it's your new school uniform. I'm dying some of Dudley's old clothing."

"Are you kidding me?" Lily blurted, earning a glare from Petunia. "But I'm a fraction of the size of Dudley! They'll never fit me!" Looking down at her tall and willowy frame, Lily could only imagine the horrors that would occur if she had to wear Dudley's clothing. Suddenly, the aspect of going to school didn't seem so appealing.

"They'll fit you just fine," Petunia sniffed. "Now go get the salad."

Dudley and Vernon filed into the kitchen eventually, both also cringing at the smell. The sound of the mail being delivered broke the casual lunch conversation between the three Dursleys as Vernon looked towards the silent Lily.

"What are you waiting for, Liliana? Get the mail!" Petunia snarled, using the name she insisted on giving to Lily, refusing to call her by her real one.

"No, Petunia, I need her to get the lemonade," Vernon stated. "Have Dudley get the mail."

"Fine, Duddykins, would you mind getting the mail?" After minimal argument, Dudley heaved himself up with a sigh and Lily was quick to follow, moving to the counter to grab the drink.

Dudley came back in, twirling a parchment envelop between his fingers.

"Dad," he drawled, "Lily's got a letter."  
Startled, Lily looked up from her plate of food. She had never gotten mail before, never even had anyone to write to.

Vernon snatched the letter out of his son's hands, his face purple.

"Both of you," he growled. "Out of this kitchen. Now."

Lily and Dudley both immediately began to protest.

"What is it? I want to know! _Dad!_ " Dudley whined.

"It's my letter, I have a right to know what it says!" Lily was protesting.

"OUT!" shouted Vernon.

Lily and Dudley scrambled out, and, after a quick scuffle to decide who would get to listen at the keyhole, Lily was lying flat on her stomach, an ear pressed against the crack of the doorway by the floor.

"Vernon," Petunia seemed to be saying, her voice laced with fear, "look at the address- how could they possibly know where she sleeps? Do you think they're watching the house?"

"Watching it? Spying, more likely. They may even be following us-" Vernon muttered widely.

"But what should we do, Vernon?" Petunia's voice quivered. "Should we write back? Tell them we don't want-"

"We do nothing," Vernon replied. Lily could see his black polished shoes pace up and down the floors. "Maybe if we just ignore it, they'll stop writing… yes, that's best… we'll ignore it…"

"But-"

"I'm not having one in this house, Petunia, end of discussion! Didn't we swear when we took him in, we'd stomp out all that nonsense?"

The next day, Lily found herself walking into Dudley's room. Her cousin was sprawled on his bed, the t.v. blaring some idiotic show.

"What are you doing here?" Dudley asked stupidly.

"I live here," Lily drawled back.

"Not in my room, you don't. All you have is a cupboard." A smirk was playing on Dudley's face, causing Lily's glare to deepen.

"I want to know what that letter said. What was it addressed to?"

"Why would I tell you?" Dudley asked. "Who'd be writing to you, anyway?"

"If I knew, would I be asking?" Lily snarled. She had already decided to ask Vernon when he came back from work. She had tried the other night, but he had brushed her off and sent her to her cupboard.

"Does little miss perfect not like knowing something for once?" Dudley taunted.

"Wow, Duds, you managed to string together more than five words! Congrats!" Lily retorted, turning and slamming the door behind her.

She stormed to her cupboard and pulled out a book, attempting to get her mind off of the mysterious letter.


	2. Chapter 2

**So this chapter is a bit shorter than I would like, but life has been kinda hectic latelyso I haven't had much time to write and I wanted to give you all something. So here's chapter two!**

 **Chapter 2-**

The next few days were some of the weirdest Lily had ever experienced.

It started with Vernon visiting her at her cupboard, something he had never done before, and she hoped he never did again.

"Where's my letter," was the first thing Lily said when the door opened. "Who's writing to me."

"No one," Vernon said shortly, obviously trying to keep his temper in check. "It was addressed to you by mistake. I took the liberty of burning it."  
"A mistake, sure," Lily seethed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It was a mistake that it had my exact living arrangements writ-"

"SILENCE!" Vernon roared, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. He took a deep breath, his voice turning back from it's ugly shade of purple.

"Er- yes. Lily, your aunt and I were talking about this cupboard, and we… well, you're getting a bit big for it and… we think it would be good for you if… well if you move into Dudley's second bedroom."

"Seriously?" Lily asked dubiously. "Why?"

"Don't ask questions," Vernon said automatically. "Just… gather your stuff and bring it upstairs."

And that was just the start of her weird week. Needless to say, Dudley wasn't happy the next morning at breakfast. He first tried crying, then hitting, then screaming, and then even brightening, but nothing budged his parents. Lily was just as unhappy, but for different reasons. Vernon still wouldn't tell her what the letter was about.

Vernon, for the first time, seemed to be trying to please Lily, and sent Dudley to get the mail. This plan backfired, however, when Dudley's cry came.

"There's another one! 'Miss L. Potter, the smallest bedroom-"

Like lightning, Lily bounded out of her chair, Vernon on her heels. SHe tried to grab the letter from Dudley, but failed as her cousin bounded upstairs, followed by her uncle who wrestled him to the ground.

"Ahha!" He cried, wrenching the letter free from Dudley's grasp. "Lily! Goto your cupboard- I mean room! Dudley- just- just go."

Friday, Lily tried something new. It was obvious from her failed attempt to get to the mail before Vernone, who ended up sleeping right by the slot, that she had to get creative. Vernon had sealed the mail slot, forcing them all to get any deliveries through the windows. SO, naturally, Lily sat on her roof until she saw the mail arrive before climbing around and down, landing lightly outside the window- Right into the seething gaze of Vernon who seemed to be waiting right inside the window.

Saturday, things began to get very weird. At least 24 letters arrived, shoved inside of eggs, under the door, through window slots, and some even magically appeared inside Vernon's porridge.

But surprisingly, Vernon was in a cheery mood when Lily came down for breakfast Sunday morning. SHe took her usual seat at the table and pulled an orange towards herself, peeling it and eating a slice while Vernon smiled crazily.

"No post on Sundays," he said gleefully when he saw the questioning glances sent his way. "None of those damn letters today! Not one-"

And that's when it started. A letter zoomed in from the fireplace, hitting a piece of toast out of Dudley's hand. Within an instant, letters were zooming everywhere, flying at everything in sight, breaking the seals of the windows and door. Dudley ducked under the table with Petunia covering him, and Lily bent down, quickly grabbing one and shoving it into her sleeve before jumping around and trying to catch another.

"Out! OUT!" Vernon screamed. He grabbed Lily around the waist and threw her outside, quick to follow with Dudley and Petunia.

"That does it!" He said, pulling tufts of hair out of his mustache. "We're going. Now. You all have five minutes, take what you need and no more!"

Lily ran up to her room, the letter still shoved up her sleeve, and quickly assembled her meager belongings before taking a quick seat on her bed and pulling out the letter. Finally, _finally_ , she had her letter. She broke the seal and pulled it out, skimming the content quickly.

 _Hogwarts School_

 _Of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

 _Dear Miss Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into_

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list_

 _of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than_

 _July 31._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

Minerva McGonagall

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Lily gawked at the letter for a few moments. Wizards? She couldn't be- but she was just- but-

And then events started to flood back to her. THe time in first grade when she had made a girl, Kacey Johansson, fly five feet in the air because she was tugging on Lily's braids. The time where, when running from Dudley, she found herself standing on the roof of the school when she only meant to jump onto the trash can. Or that time when she had made her hair change colors to displease the blonde haired idiots of her second grade class, almost like magic.

Events, from the last ten years of her life, came flooding back to her in a megar minute. Instances where things had happened, things that shouldn't be able to happen. And then the most recent- the snake- it all just-

Lily was broken from her thoughts by a loud scream and bang from downstairs. She vaulted off her bed, still clutching the letter in one hand, and thundered down the stairs.

In the entrance of the house stood an older women, grey hair pulled back into a tight bun, and emerald green robes making her look as if she was from a different time.

Vernon and Petunia were standing a few feet away, stark in the face, a vase broken at their feet. Dudley came down the stairs right after Lily, stopping a step above her.

"Well that won't do, will it," the women said. She pulled out a thin, wooden stick and waved it, causing the pieces of broken vase to reform and fly itself back onto the table it had come from. "Ah," the women said, gazing towards where Lily stood gaping. "You must be Lily then. The resemblance to your father is uncanny. I see you have your letter, very good. All seems to be in order. I'll just explain a few things to your aunt and uncle here, and we'll be off."

Questions were flying through Lily's head so fast that she felt any minute her head would explode. Who was this woman? Was what she'd just done magic? Where did she mean by off? But instead of saying one of these, the only thing that came out of Lily's mouth was "You knew my father?"

Her voice was so small that it sounded almost foreign to her ears. The women's hard eyes softened at the sound of it and gave a small smile. "Yes, I knew your father. He was one of my students, as was your mother."

"Were they… you know…" Lily held up the parchment letter, still clutched tightly in her fist.

"Wizards? Yes, they were. As are you."

It was in this moment that Vernon seemed to find his voice, his purple face only adding to the affect as he bellowed, "ENOUGH!"

Unfazed, the women turned towards him and raised a single eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she asked calmly.

"She will not be going!" Vernon yelled. "We swore that we would put a stop to this… this... rubbish when we took her in!"

"Vernon, I take it," the women said after a slight pause. "Which would make you Petunia. Oh yes, Lily talked a lot about you."

For a moment, Lily was confused at what the older women meant, before realizing she was probably referring to her mother.

The women looked at the two for a few more moments before turning back to Lily.

"I take it you've realized what you are?" she asked. Lily nodded mutely, still trying to take it all in. "Alright then, we best be off. Do you need time to pack? We won't be coming back here for a bit, I'm afraid."

Still silently, Lily shook her head. "I-I have my stuff upstairs," she uttered finally. "Should I… should I go grab it?"

"Indeed. I'll wait here."

Eyes still wide, Lily turned, Dudley jumping out of her way as she ran up the stairs and into her bare room, grabbing the tiny duffle off her bed and running back downstairs to meet a ashen faced Petunia and purple Vernon, screaming at the lady.

"-then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had her," Petunia was spatting, "and I knew she'd be just as strange, just as- as _abnormal_ \- and then, if you please, they went and got themselves blown up! And we got landed with her."

Lily knew they were talking about her, but the only thing she could say was, "Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"  
The lady scoffed. "Like a car crash could kill Lily and James Potter. I told Albus the very night we left Lily with you fools that you wouldn't care for her, that you would probably not even tell her her own story. And I was right, wasn't I. Nine years later and you've abused the poor girl, misfed her, and she has no idea of the truth when everyone in our world knows who she is!"

"Why?" Lily asked, confused as to what the women meant.

"It doesn't matter now. What matters is that we're leaving." She pulled open the door and ushered Lily through, leaving a seething Dursley family in their wake.

The women brought Lily to a car where she ushered her in to the front before getting into the driver's seat and speeding away from the house.

"You must have a million questions," the women said shortly, "so ask away."

"Who are you?" Lily blurted out, stopping herself from exchanging the 'who' with 'what'.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall, but you can simply call me professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts."

"What's 'Transfiguration'?"

"It's the art of changing one thing into another." Professor McGonagall turned the car onto another street, changing the view from lines of houses to a busy street.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked, pushing herself up against the window.

"London. You need supplies for school."  
"Can you get all of this in London?" Lily asked, gesturing to the supply list on her lap.

"Of course."

The rest of the ride only took about twenty minutes during which, Lily stared out at the changing scenery around her. Other than the spontaneous trip to the zoo, Lily only went out of the house to go running or to the zoo. It was weird, seeing the rows of houses change to the bustling streets of London.

Professor McGonagall stopped the car in front of a small record store and a bookshop, with what looked like a tiny sliver of a place between. Passer's eyes seemed to slide right over it, as if it didn't exist.

"Here we are," McGonagall said, getting out of the car. Lily hurried to follow, grabbing her letter as she went.

"Professor," Lily said, trying to keep pace with the taller woman, "how am I going to afford this?" she brandished the letter and supply list.

"That shouldn't be a problem. To my knowledge, your parents left you money when they died."

Inside the pub was loud and bright. People were mulling about, paying no mind to Lily and the Professor.

McGonagall, all business, walked straight to the back and through a door, not waiting for Lily to follow. When Lily did manage to emerge from the door, Professor McGonagall was waiting impatiently in front of a brick wall.

"What are we doing back here?" Lily asked, staring around the back alley.

"Three up… two across… Alright here we go," she said instead of answering. Lily swiveled her head to look at the wall, but the bricks were movinging, almost melting out of the way.

"What the-"

"Language, Miss Potter," McGonagall said mildly. "Now let's go. We have business to get done."


	3. Chapter 3

Diagon Alley was straight out of a dream. The streets were lined with bright colored shops, signs reading "Cauldrons, 2 for 10 galleons" and "Fresh Ink and Parchment" hanging in front of the doors. People mulled the streets, chatting and laughing as kids practically ran each other over to see the latest designs of brooms and candies. It took Lily a solid minute to drink it all in, that this was a different world than what she was used to.

"Where do we start?" she asked Professor McGonagall after the wonder had sunk in.

"Well if you want to buy anything, you'll need to get money first," the professor said, starting down the twisting road. Lily ran to catch up with her, a sense of dread in her stomach.

"You said my parents left me money?" she asked, falling into step with the Professor's long strides (Lily was tall, but she couldn't imagine being as tall as Professor McGonagall).

"Indeed," McGonagall said without a glance to the half jogging Lily.

"But how can you be sure? I mean, what if they didn't, and I don't have money to pay for any of it and-"  
"Your parents set up a fund for you the minute you were born," McGonagall said. "Trust me, money shouldn't be a problem."

McGonagall stopped short, surprising Lily who had to fight from pitching forward into a set of marble steps.

They were in front of the farthest building down the street, a large, marble structure with two columns standing tall out front.

"Welcome to Gringotts," McGonagall said, all business. She started up the steps, Lily, per usual, scrambling to keep up.

The inside was just as magnificent as the outside, with high ceilings that seemed to never end, and tall desks lining the walkway. The only thing maring the otherwise pure picture was-

"Goblins," McGonagall explained, as if she could read her mind. "They run the bank."

"They look… interesting," Lily said, trying to not offend the professor.

"Goblins are naturally devious creatures, so stay close," was all McGonagall said in return. She led Lily up to a desk where a creature sat high up, glaring down at them.

"Can I help you?" the goblin snarled, a long hand tapping the desk impatiently.

"I request access to the Potter accounts," Professor McGonagall replied, her face neutral.

The goblin scoffed, leaning back in his tall chair. "I'm afraid that the Potter vaults require permission to access."

"Then get me that permission," McGonagall said tartly. With one last withering glance, the goblin got out of his seat, coming back five minutes later with another goblin on its heals.

"If you'd follow me," the new goblin said, not bothering to introduce himself. McGonagall started forward with Lily, but the goblin gave her a look. "Just the girl, if you please." Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and began down a corridor. Lily glanced at McGonagall who gave a slight nod to the younger girl, indicating she should follow the goblin.

The corridors twisted and turned on themselves in a way that made Lily positive that she would never be able to get out again. Finally the goblin stopped in front of a large oak door. With a single knock, the door swung open, revealing an office with an oak desk and chairs. It reminded Lily of a muggle headmaster office with its daunting looks.

The goblin situated himself behind the desk and gestured for Lily to do the same.

"I'm Griphook, the goblin in charge of the Potter vaults. Am I correct in assuming you're Lily Potter?" The goblin's gazed at Lily who nodded in affirmation. "Hold out your hand."

"Excuse me?" Lily said, taken aback.

"Your hand. A simple blood test is required to prove your identity," Griphook said, obviously starting to get impatient.

"While excuse me for asking," Lily muttered, shoving her hand forward. Griphook held out a small knife, causing Lily to start back, but before she could withdraw her hand, he pulled the blade across her hand and smeared it on a cold device.

Lily yanked her hand back, glaring at the goblin. "A little warning next time would be greatly appreciated."

"I told you it would require a blood test."

"You said a small one."

"All of your body parts are intact, no?" Lily could swear there was a playful smile on his face.

"Bloody mental. Did you at least prove I'm not lying?"

"You are, in fact, Lily Mary Potter, daughter of James and Lily Potter." The goblin fished around for something in a draw before pulling out a folder, stamped with gold letters. "These are the financial records of the money and properties your parents left for you when they died. Most you will not come into until you turn of age, but there is a small chunk that was placed aside for school funds." He pulled out a single page, passing it to Lily, who sputtered at the number listed before her.

"This is a small chunk?" she asked, eyeing the number warily.

"You're parents did have a hefty amount of gold left aside for you." Griphook pulled the folder back and placed it inside a draw. "The rest will be acquired, as mentioned, when you come of age. For now, that is what you have to work with. Now, I can take you to the vault with that value placed inside if needed, as well as a vault with items that belonged to your parents."

"That works," Lily said, still slightly speechless. She could only imagine the looks on the Dursley's face if they found out just how much money lay under the streets of London.

"There is just one more matter that needs discussing," Griphook said, pulling out yet another folder. "That of your title."

"My… title?" Lily asked, taking the folder that was passed to her.

"All the information is in there. Of course, you don't have to accept the ladyship when you come of age, but if you decide to, the obligations are outlined."

"Ladyship?" Lily asked, bewildered.

"Of course," Griphook said, as if that was a word normally passed around. "You are the heir to the Noble and most Ancient Houses of Black and Potter. With your father deceased, you become Lady Potter as soon as you come of age, as long as you agree. And your godfather did name you heir to his house and in his current… situation, you would become Lady Black as well."

Lily opened her mouth to ask a question, but Professor McGonagall walked in before she could say anything else.

"All orders are in affair, I presume," McGonagall said. A small bulge in the fold of her robes caught Lily's eye. As if reading the girls mind, McGonagall said, "I needed to attend to some business as well."

"I was just about to escort Miss Potter to her vaults. I assume you have the key?"

"Of course," McGonagall said stiffly, passing a key to Griphook.

"Right this way then."

The goblin first took them to a vault piled with gold, silver, and bronze, which McGonagall helped Lily place in a bag whilst explaining the value of the money.

After, Griphook took them to a vault lined with shelves containing books, scrolls, pictures, jewls, and even furniture.

"All of this… was my parents?" Lily asked, reaching out a hand to touch a leather bound book.

"Correct. And now it's yours."

"Wicked," Lily said softly. She spent what felt like days strolling through the shelves and pulling out books and looking at pictures. In the end, she took about ten books on various magical subjects and a stack of old pictures of two people who had to be ehr parents, some even including a small child that looked to be Lily.

Emerging back onto the bright streets of Diagon Alley, the books and pictures shrunken and shoved into Lily's pockets, felt like waking up from a dream. McGonagall carted Lily from shop to shop, checking things off of a list. Lily had to constantly remind herself that yes, she could afford that and no, she wasn't poor while still telling herself to save money for the next seven years of her life so she couldn't buy too many things.

However, most of that went out of her head as soon as she entered the book shop. Lily always had a love for books, enjoying being taken to a different world with every book and imagining herself in that world instead of the one she resided love for reading only seemed to fuel the kids that bullied her, but it never stopped her from opening a book.

Needless to say, McGonagall had to practically pull her out of that shop, arms laden down with heavy books. McGonagall also brought Lily to a shop full of potions ingredients that squirmed and wiggled, a shop bursting with cauldrons of all shapes, colors, and sizes, a shop full or robes where Lily got fitted for her school robes. They also visited a pet shop where Lily got a beautiful snowy owl. After getting the last few things on her list, Professor McGonagall pulled her into a shop with a sign reading, "Ollivanders, makers of fine wands since 382 b.c".

"Lily Potter," a soft voice said. A man with silvery hair stood behind the counter, a curious glint in his eyes. "Welcome."

"Erm, hello," Lily said, only slightly weirded out by the fact that the old man knew her name (not much surprised her when her day had been filled with wizards, goblins, and a village filled with various magical things).

"Minerva McGonagall. Your wand was 9 ½ inches, fir, and dragon heartstring. Pleasure to see you again."

"Do you always greet someone with information about their wand?" Lily mused. Either Ollivander didn't hear her or, more likely, chose to ignore her.

"Which is your wand arm?" he said instead.

"Well, I'm left handed," Lily offered.

"Hold it out." As she did, a measuring tape began to take measurements all around Lily's body.

"I remeber every wand I've ever sold, Miss Potter. Each uniquely different, suited for their owner and their owner only. You can never get quite the same results with a different users wand, even if you did manage to win it from them. That will do," Ollivander suddenly said, and the measuring tape fell to the ground in a pile.

"Come over here, Miss Potter," Ollivander said, walking behind the counter. He began to pull slim boxes off of the shelves and laid them down. "Fir, unicorn hair, eight and a half inches. Nice and flexible- well give it a wave."

Feeling more than slightly stoopid, Lily took the wand and waved it, managing to break a vase whilst doing it.

"Well that's not the one," Ollivander chortled, taking the wand back from Lily and passing her another. "Dragon heartstring, 8 inches, perfect for charm work."

This time, instead of breaking a vase, lily managed to bring down the entire staircase (which Ollivander then fixed with a mere flick of his own wand.)

"Quite strong natural talent I see. Much like you're parents in that sense. You're going to do great things, Miss Potter, if only with the right wand…" he trailed off, his eyes landing on a third box. "Maybe… no… but if… perhaps if…"

"Care to clue us in on your thoughts?" Lily asked, earning a scolding look from the professor.

"Alright, Miss Potter, I think I might have found the wand for you. Holly, 11 inches, and core of a phoenix feather. Particularly good at defensive magic." He passed Lily the wand, and as soon as her hand touched it, it warmed, casting a silver glow.

"This is the one," Lily found herself saying, holding tight to the wand. "Definitely this one."

"Curious," Ollivander said.

"Why curious?" Lily asked, still admiring the wand in her hand.

"It just so happens, Miss Potter, that the particular phoenix who's tail feather is in your wand gave just one other. The wand in your hand has a brother. And it's brother… well it's brother gave you that scar." His voice got more hushed the longer he spoke, causing the last words to become a mere whisper.

"No need to be so dramatic," Lily said, keeping her voice even.

"Well as I said, Miss Potter, you're onto great things. Given, He-who-must-not-be-named did great things. Terrible, yes… but great. Now, that will be nine galleons."

Lily fished into her pocket to pull out her money pouch, but Professor McGonagall passed the gold to Mr. Ollivander.

"You don't have to-" Lily started, but McGonagall held up a hand.

"From what I remember, your birthday is tomorrow, is it not?" Lily nodded her head in confirmation. "Well then consider this an early birthday present."  
"Thank you," Lily said earnestly. It was the first present she had ever gotten (well if you didn't count the ratty old sweaters Petunia gave her when the others finally fell apart).

"You're welcome," McGonagall said with a small smile.

Professor McGonagall left Lily at the Leaky Cauldron with instructions of how to get on to the platform at Kings Cross (run straight at the wall, no matter how absurd it sounded) and a whole new set of outfits from the muggle mall across the way ("Because you're not wearing your aunts old clothing anymore").

Lily woke up early on the morning of September first, the sun rise shining in from the window across from her bed. She got up and showered, plaiting her black hair down her back and throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before unpacking and repacking her trunk about five times and then reading yet another one of her textbooks. She had almost read them all now, positive that she was already miles behind all the other kids that were going to be at Hogwarts.

Taking the bus to Kings Cross wasn't Lily's idea of an ideal form of transportation, but she wasn't about to call the Dursleys for a ride.

By the time she made it to the station, the sun was high in the sky and Lily's watch read 10:30. Professor McGonagall had been pretty assertive in saying that if Lily wasn't on the train by 11 am sharp, she would miss it.

Lily loaded her trunk and owl onto a trolley and made her way into the station, double checking that she had her ticket with her. The station was packed,morning commuters bustling around to find their train and get to work. Lily maneuvered her trunk through the station, dodging people who didn't seem to mind if they hit into her.

Finally she made it to the platform, staring down a brick wall that looked pretty solid. Her mind began to flash through the possibilities of what would happen if she ran into it, ranging from going through to crashing her cart and breaking every bone in her body.

"Well," Lily muttered, taking a deep breath. "Only one way to find out." Shaking out her long limbs, Lily closed her eyes and took off at a run, bracing herself for the impact.

But it never came. She stopped running. Cracking open her eyes, Lily took in the colorful surroundings around her.

Kids mulled about, talking and laughing amatidly. A large, red steam engine was stopped on the tracks, students climbing into it and leaning out the windows.

A laugh of relief escaped Lily. She was here. She was really going to a school for magic. She grabbed her cart again, preparing to push it to the train, when something hard smacked into her back, sending her reeling forward and her cart crashing to the ground.

"Oh, merlin! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" A boy with ginger hair was standing over her, offering his hand down. Lily took it and yanked herself up, brushing off her shorts.

"Well," she drawled, "that's one way to knock a girl off her feet."

The boy turned bright red and helped her put her trunk back on the cart. "Again, I'm so sorry. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way."

"Lily Potter," Lily grunted as she heaved her extra bag onto the cart. When she turned back, Ron was standing, staring at her, his freckles stark against his pale face.

"Are you… are you really Lily Potter?" He asked, his eyes wide.

Lily made a show of examining her arms before turning back to Ron. "Last I checked, yes."

"It's just… well… really?" Ron said. Lily glared at him. "Right, right. Sorry. I'm just gonna-" he tripped over himself, turning around to where a group of redheads were standing. "I've gotta-"

"Do you always get this flustered?" Lily chuckled.

"Only when talking to pretty girls," another red head said, coming up behind Ron. "Ronnie, mum's looking for you."

Ron's ears turned bright red as he turned away with one last glance to Lily.

"If that was meant to flatter me," Lily drawled to the new red head, "you failed miserably."

"I only speak the truth," the boy said. "Fred Weasley, at your service." He bowed comically, causing Lily to roll her eyes.  
"Lily Potter, and before you pull the same thing your brother did, yes, I do mean Lily Potter."

"Bloody hell," Fred said, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a "FRED!" sounded, causing him to turn.

"Coming mum!" Fred called back. He turned towards Lily, his eyes back to the normal size. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Potter."

"The pleasure was all mine." Lily rolled her eyes once again as the ginger bounded away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow so apparently my mind can't grasp the concept of updating on time. I'm really, really sorry guys. But I now have actual free time so hopefully that means no more waiting a month for me to update!**

 **Chapter 4**

Lily turned back to her trunk and began to heave it onto the train, getting it over the lip and pushing it further into the corridor. She put Hedwig up next and then heaved herself up, getting hold of her trunk again and beginning to maneuver around the crowded halls. She went into the first empty compartment she found and collapsed onto the bench, rolling her neck and pushing her glasses farther up her nose.

Kids were running down the corridors outside her compartment, pushing each other and laughing. They all were in muggle clothes, nothing like what people were wearing in Diagon Alley. They looked… _normal_ , or as normal as one could be while pulling around an owl and holding a magic wand.

On the platform, kids were saying goodbye to their parents, some clad in robes and some in normal clothing, making for a weird sight. Lily found a patch of red hair as a host of people she recognized as the Weasleys began to climb on the train. Lily sighed and leant back against her seat, pulling out one of her various books from in her trunk.

She couldn't believe she was actually here. She was going to Hogwarts! Her time at four Privet Drive felt so far away, and she'd only been gone a week. Professor McGonagall had told her that she wouldn't have to go back to that place, not now, not ever, but it was still hard to believe that was the truth. She was gone from there, and she was going farther away.

A small smile played it's way onto Lily's lips as she opened the large book, focusing her attention on potions. But before Lily could really start reading her book, there was a small knock at the compartment door.

"Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

It was Ron Weasley, skillfully avoiding Lily's eyes, standing in the glass door way.

"Take a seat," Lily said easily, moving Hedwig's cage off of the bench across from her. Ron pulled his trunk in and heaved it up, his face unusually red.

"I'm sorry about what happened on the platform," he finally blurted out, his ears bright red. "It's just… you're Lily Potter."

"Have been for the last eleven years of my life."

"Oh." The two fell into silence again, the sound of chatter in the halls breaking through slightly.

"Oi, Ron!" The twins were back, to bobs of red hair sticking their way into the compartment.

"We're headed to the front of the train," Fred said.

"Yeah, Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there!" his twin added.

"Right," Ron mumbled, his face paling slightly.

"Lily, always a pleasure," Fred added jauntily. "See you two later then!"

They slid the compartment door shut, leaving the two first years in silence again.

"Do you really have the… you know… the scar?" Ron asked finally.

Lily pulled her hair back, revealing the slim lightning scar slashing it's way down her forehead.

"Wicked," Ron whispered, gawking at it.

"How many brothers do you have?" Lily asked Ron, trying to move the conversation away from her abnormalities.

"Five, and one sister. There's Bill and Charlie, but they both graduated. Then Percy, he's a right git, always going on about how he's the best and the only one with any potential in the family, not that he's _not_ smart, he gets top marks in every class. Then Fred and George, the twins, who mess around a lot, but still get rather good marks. Everyone expects me to be as good as them, but if I am, it doesn't matter, because they did it first."

"Then you just have to be better than them," Lily said simply.

"Easier said than done," Ron grumbled.

"I wish I had siblings. All I have is a git of a cousin."

"I heard you went to live with muggles. What are they like?"

"Most of them are fine," Lilu assured him, "just not my family. My aunt and uncle hate me, and my cousin is the reason I can run away so fast."

That jolted them back into an uneasy silence, Ron fiddling with his wand and Lily fiddling with her hair.

"It's a nice wand," Lily said earnestly, trying to break the quiet.

"Thanks," Ron muttered, his ears red. "It's Charlie's old one. Mum and dad couldn't aff- I mean, I got Charlie's wand." Ron stared out the window, obviously embarrassed.

Lily assured Ron that there was nothing wrong with using his family's old stuff. She told him how, up until last month, she didn't think she had any money, and that she used to have to use Aunt Petunia's old clothing.

"... and I'm going to be so hopelessly behind in school," Lily confessed, sharing the thing that had been bothering her the most this past month. "Up until McGonagall came and got me, I had no clue I was even a witch, or that my parents were, or about Voldemort-"

Ron let out a gasp, causing Lily to stop her story.

"What?" she asked worriedly.

"You said you-know-who's name! I thought you… of all people…"

"It's just a name," Lily said. "It's not like I'm trying to be brave or anything."

"I just don't think I've ever heard anyone say it before. Bill used to tell me that if I said it, I could make you-know-who appear out of thin air."

"Bill's a liar," Lily told Ron, stretching out on the seat. Just then, the door to their compartment slid open, revealing a woman with graying hair and a cart full of sweets.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" the woman asked with a kindly smile.

Ron mumbled something about having sandwiches and held up a lumpy package. Lily took one look at it and said, "Let's go. Up. Candy's on me."

"I can't let you do that," Ron told her, turning scarlet.

"Yes you can, and you will. Now get up, Ronald. I know nothing about wizard candy and I need help."

Lily reached down and yanked Ron up, and the two stumbled over to the cart, picking out and having their fills of strange colored candy that made them smoke at the mouth and have their hair change colors.

They were mid way through their stash of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans when their compartment door opened again, revealing a petite blond with a very angry look on her face.

"I'm sitting here," the blonde announced, pushing some wrappers onto the floor and taking a seat on the bench. "Because if I have to spend one more minutes with those uptight, idiotic cows I will be committing first degree murder."

Lily exchanged an amused glance with Ron who looked startled before turning to the girl. "Lily and this is Ron."

"Daphne," the girl replied. "It's a pleasure."

"Oh believe me," Lily said, already taking a liking to Daphne. "The pleasure is all mine. Have some candy."

Daphne, as it turned out, was a first year as well. She and Lily got along fine but Ron was slightly cautious at first, up until she mentioned quidditch. That spurred an hour long talk about a game that sounded oddly like flying basketball.

Daphne and Ron were midway through arguing about which team was better (the Chudley Cannons or Holyhead Harpies) when the compartment door slid open again, revealing a girl with bushy brown hair carting around a squat looking boy with a miserable look on his face.

"Have you seen a toad?" the girl asked, all business. "Neville's lost one."

"A… toad?" Lily asked, sending a questioning glance to her companions. "No, sorry."

"His name is Trevor," Neville said with a sniffle, "and I've lost him."

"I'm sure he'll turn up," Ron offered.

"If you had him when you got on the train, he can't have gone far," Daphne added.

Neville nodded with a sniffle, but it was clear that he didn't believe Daphne. Daphne seemed to realize that to and she pulled out her wand, casting a glance to Neville. "What did you say the toad's name is?"

"Tr-trevor," Neville whimpered.

"Accio Trevor," Daphne said, with a flick of her wand. A green blob came racing into the compartment and straight to Daphne's hand. She passed the toad to an astonished Neville.

"Th-thank you," Neville said.

"That's some really advanced magic," the girl said, her bushy hair bobbing. "I've only tried a few simple spells myself, but never anything like that. Nobody in my family's magic at all. Both my parents are muggles and were ever so shocked when I got my letter, but they were ever so pleased. I mean, it's the very best school for magic in all of Europe. I've learned all the course books by heart, of course, I just hope it'll be enough. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, and you are?"

"Ron Weasley," Ron said through a mouthful of chocolate frog.

"Daphne Greengrass," Daphne offered.

"Lily Potter," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Hermione asked with a tilt of her head.

"Lily Potter," I said more clearly. Neville dropped his toad and bent down, scrambling to pick it up, as Hermione let out a little shriek of delight.

"Are you really?" Hermione asked with a light in her eye. "I've read all about you, of course. You're in _Modern Magical Advancements_ , _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ , and _Magical History of the 20th Century_."

Lily, of course, had read all of those books. She had made it a point to figure out everything she could about her history and the history of her new world.

"I would've figured out everything, if it were me," Hermione continued, voicing Lily's thoughts. "Do any of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking down the train, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor. It seems by far the best. I heard Dumbledore himself was in it."

"Yes, and Merlin was in Slytherin," Daphne stated simply. Hermione shut her mouth as if she was surprised that Daphne had said anything.

"Anyway, we'd better go. I was just up to the conductor and he expects we'll be arriving soon, so you better get changed." With that, Hermione turned and left, dragging Neville with her.

"Whatever house she's in I hope I'm not in," Ron muttered.

"Cut her some slack, Ron. She wasn't _that_ bad," Lily offered.

"' _I_ would've figured out _everything_ if it were me,'" Ron mimicked in a high pitched voice. "She sounded like my brother."

"Well unless she's sorted into Slytherin, I won't have to deal with her," Daphne said, folding her arms and leaning back.

"You want to be in _Slytherin_?" Ron asked bewildered.

"Have a problem with that?" Daphne challenged.

"Well… it's just that… aren't all Slytherins evil?" Ron said, melting slightly under Daphne's glare.

"Don't tell me you're one for stereotypes, Ron," Daphne seethed, her pale face reddening.

"Alright, calm down you two," Lily said, attempting to stop her two new friends from jumping at each other. "Daphne, Ron was just surprised, that's all. And Ron, Daphne's clearly not evil so let's not jump to conclusions."

Both the ginger and the blond shut their mouths, but they continued to glare daggers at each other. Deciding to change the subject, Lily asked, "So do you-"

But whatever she was going to say got cut off by the compartment door sliding open once again to reveal three boys, one small and icily blond boy and two very large with globs of dark hair.

"Is it true then?" the blond said. He was standing between the two large boys, making it look as if they were his bodyguards (maybe they were his bodyguards. They looked mean enough). "They're saying all up and down the train that Lily Potter is in this compartment." His eyes passed over Ron who was still red in the face from his argument with Daphne. The boy dismissed Daphne next, looking her up and down once before landing on Lily. "So it's you then, is it?"

Lily felt herself settle into a silent anger. The way the boy was acting reminded her too much of the kids at her old school, the ones who used to pick on her for wearing Petunia's old clothes and who called her "orphan Potter".

With a slight glare on her face, Lily started the boy in his eyes and replied, "Is there a reason you're here? Or was it just so you could make that ever so bright observation." She laced her words with her usual sarcasm.

The boy paled slightly but didn't show any other signs of having Lily's words affect him. "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he said, pointing to the two thickeset boys. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Daphne rolled her eyes, clearly as unimpressed with the boy's dramatic nature as Lily was. Ron, for his part, was doing his best at covering a laugh with a cough, but failed miserably as Malfoy turned towards him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. My father said all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Malfoy turned his attention back to Lily who was itching to fight. "You'll soon find, Potter, that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." His eyes flicked towards Ron and then Daphne, both of who were fuming. "I can help you there."

He stuck out his hand as if to shake Lily's. Lily let a small smile play on her face as she stood up, grabbed Malfoy's hand and twisted it in a move she'd used on bullies like him many times. With his arm twisted firmly behind his back and a look of shock on his face, Lily said quite clearly, "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." She pushed Malfoy out of the open compartment door.

Crabbe and Goyle surged forward, but Malfoy held up a hand to stop them and the two moved into the hallway with him. A slight pink had tinged his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said carefully. "Unless you're a bit more polite, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know their place either. You hang around with riff raff like Greengrass and blood traitors like the Weasleys, it'll rub off on you too."

Without a second thought, Lily pulled her arm back and slapped Malfoy across the face, leaving a red handprint in its wake. Malfoy jolted back and Lily used that time to slam the compartment door shut, leaving the pains of glass rattling.

She turned back around to face her two friends, both of whom were on their feet behind her and red in the face.

"Well," Lilly said calmly, sitting back down. "He was a right git."

Slowly, Daphne and Ron sat down too, both seeming to have forgotten their previous argument and instead were focusing on their new common source of hatred.

"Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy," Daphne said with a sneer. "And resident gitty first year."

THat made both Lily and Ron laugh, but Ron looked rather confused.

"The wizarding world has heirs?" He asked, a look of shock on his face.

"Oh yeah," Daphne said. "It's quite annoying, actually. Makes for a whole 'nother layer of politics that no one needed. You have your Noble and Most ancient houses, the people who practically run the government with their money. You have the house of Malfoy, Black, Greengrass, Longbottom, Potter, Gaunt, and Lestrange. Then you have your Noble Houses, a good deal more of them then the Most Ancient. Prewet, Zabini, MacMillan, Crouch, and Bulstrode to name a few. The head of all these houses, or the Lords, have seats on the Wizagmont. And then you have the heirs, or the eldest child of the family, who most subcum to hours of lessons on how to attend parties and eat properly and speak properly." She said all of this with a look of distaste marrying her normally black face.

"I'm guessing you speak from experience," Lily said with a bland smile.

"Mum and dad never mentioned anything like that," Ron followed, a crease in his forehead.

"About half of the wizarding community likes to pretend that it's not a thing," Daphne explained. "For some it's showing just how unfair life can be and for others it's a reminder that our supposedly 'advanced' society is not much better than the muggles'."

"Well if all heirs are as awful as Malfoy then I'm not looking forward to meeting them," Lily said plainly.

"I should hope we're not all that bad," Daphne teased lightly, obviously trying to lift the mood.

When the compartment door slid open for a third time, the three were laughing again as Daphne told stories of all the times she's scandalized her parents at formal parties and Ron told about all the times that he and his brothers had done something to scandalize his parents.

"Have you three been fighting?" Hermione Granger asked aghast, standing on the lip of the doorway.

"Why? Has someone said something?" Lily asked plainly.

"They're saying all up and down the train that the people in this compartment were fighting! I hope that's a lie because you three will be in trouble before we even get there!"

"And?" Lily asked nonchalantly. "What else is new in my life?"


End file.
